Norma "Duffy" Lyon, known for carving life-sized cows from butter for 46 years at the Iowa State Fair, said she's backing Obama because he "doesn't believe in a lot of gobbly-gook" and spends time listening to ordinary voters.

The Obama campaign began airing radio ads Wednesday in which Lyon praises the Illinois senator.

In addition to cows, Lyon has carved butter sculptures of Elvis, John Wayne, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper." The state fair is a must-visit for presidential candidates, and many hopefuls get their photos taken while gazing at the carvings in a huge refrigerated case.

"It's the first time I've done this," said Lyon, who retired last year. "He's my candidate and I want to see him do well."

Lyon, who raises dairy cows and beef cattle with her husband near Tama, made her endorsement a week after Obama offered a rural plan that would aid smaller farms, expand the renewable fuels industry and establish incentives for organic production.

During the Republican debate, Mike Huckabee said he believes one of the defining issues facing the country is the sanctity of human life. Arguing that the issue is of historical importance, he invoked the Declaration of Independence's rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and said that most of the signers of the declaration were clergymen.

Not even close.

Only one of the 56 was an active clergyman, and that was John Witherspoon. Witherspoon was a Presbyterian minister and president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University).

A few more of the signers were former clergymen, though it's a little unclear just how many. The conservative Heritage Foundation said two other signers were former clergymen. The religion web site Adherents.com said four signers of the declaration were current or former full-time preachers. But everyone agrees only Witherspoon was an active minister when he signed the Declaration of Independence.

One issue that may contribute to the confusion about which signers had a history in the clergy is that during the time the Declaration was written, people who studied at universities often received doctorates of divinity, a common degree designation, even if they were not working clergy, said Mary Jenkins of the Independence National Historical Park. As for religious affiliations, all of the signers were Protestant Christians with one exception, Charles Carroll of Maryland, who was Roman Catholic.

We'd like to give Huckabee every benefit of the doubt, but even if you consider former clergymen among the signers the best you could come up with is four. Out of 56. That's not "most," that's Pants-on-Fire wrong.

Location: In a dimension known as the Twilight Zone...do de doo doo, do de doo doo...

Posts: 19,268

Local Time: 06:58 PM

*Reads that story about that Iowa lady*

*Shakes head, chuckles* Ah, god love Iowans (is a former Iowan) .

I'm not gonna be going for any of the Republican candidates. I love Ron Paul's position on the "war on terror", but from what I've heard, I'd disagree with him on a lot of other issues, so he's out (and his position on the war on terror already likely counts him out as being the one to win the nomination anyway, 'cause he's kinda in a minority with his thoughts there). And the rest just really scare me.

And then the Democrats-right now Obama's about the only one I could vote for. Otherwise, I'll probably be looking at going independent and voting for someone like Kucinich.

WASHINGTON — In response to an uproar from gay activists, Democrat Barack Obama's presidential campaign on Wednesday added a gay minister to the lineup for its weekend gospel tour.

Gay activists had criticized Obama's "Embrace the Change" tour in South Carolina because the performers included gospel singer Donnie McClurkin, who says homosexuality is a choice.

Obama's campaign invited Rev. Andy Sidden, a South Carolina pastor who is openly gay, to appear on Sunday in Columbia. Obama discussed Sidden's inclusion Thursday with Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, which supports gay rights.

In a statement, Solmonese said he thanked Obama for including Sidden but told the Illinois senator he was disappointed McClurkin will remain part of the program.

"There is no gospel in Donnie McClurkin's message for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and their allies," Solmonese said. "That's a message that certainly doesn't belong on any presidential candidate's stage."

McClurkin is a Grammy Award winner who performed at the Republican National Convention in 2004. He told AP Radio in an interview that September that he was "once involved with those desires and those thoughts," but God turned him away from them.

Obama has spoken out against homophobia, including in the black community. He supports civil unions for same-sex couples but not the right for gay marriage.